Beauty for the Asking

I really enjoyed this movie. At the beginning, I thought this movie would be predictable and formulaic, but it surprised me, especially at the end and I loved the ending. Flora was my favorite character by far. I was sympathetic toward her at the beginning and really enjoyed seeing her transformation. And it was so fun to see Frieda Inescort play a character so different from the usual ice queen roles I've seen her play. Lucille Ball was pretty and good in her role, but nothing to write home about. Patrick Knowles was good in his role as a character who doesn't realize what a huge jerk he is. But, Inescort shines in her role as Flora. She is what made this movie good and different.

Just caught the last 45 minutes of this unexpectedly well-written and performed movie gem. Excellent melding of a sharpe, no-nonsense script with sharp, no-nonsense acting on Miss Ball's part. Nice underlying feminist message of two women rivals becoming friends after experiencing betrayal by the same man...very protocol-feminist.

It starts like a formulaic 30s romance, but the female leads (Ball, Inescort, Courtney) play surprisingly savvy - though definitely fallible - women. The male leads play their roles quite well, Patrick Knowles especially, but it's Ball and Inescort, and their relationship, that really stand out and make this movie well worth watching. Even the beauty salon theme feels more honest and better thought-out than what you'd expect from a Depression-era rags-to-riches tale. Ball's character even emphasizes that good health is the key to beauty. FWIW, I watched this (thank you, TCM) with someone who almost never has patience for old films, and she was hooked after about 20 minutes.

Beautician Jean Russell (Lucille Ball) gets dumped by Denny Williams who marries wealthy Flora instead. On top of that, she loses her job. She tries to launch her face cream with the help of ad man Jeffrey Martin. They get backing from Flora who doesn't know Jean's previous relationship with Denny. Denny has since become a kept man. Jean wants him to work again and puts him in charge. This could work if Jean is more obsessive in her love for Denny. Lucille Ball may not have the range. She needs more desperation. She needs to be pathetic in loving such a jerk. She is too self assured to play that. If she has the desperation, she could break down and get saved by Jeffrey. That's the romantic move. That's the melodrama. As it stands, it couldn't reach quite that level. Also Lucille Ball is not using her funny bone. It's nice to see her do something else but this doesn't have much juice.

Thin production courtesy RKO Pictures has a plot-line that Lucille Ball's Lucy Ricardo would positively envy. Ball plays the inventor behind a pricey face cream for high society customers; she makes a fortune with it and draws a former flame back into her life. Relatively low-keyed comedy from the era of the screwball farce, relying on cynical jabs at the beauty business rather than sight-gags. Script was worked on at different times by five writers (Grace Norton, Adele S. Buffington, Edmund L. Hartmann, Doris Anderson, and Paul Jarrico), none of whom provides that much-needed hilarious set-piece. Some leisurely laughs along the way, mostly forgettable. Lucy-addicts will raise the rating a notch. ** from ****

I enjoyed this movie. The review of it in "The RKO Story" was not very flattering and I was expecting something fairly dire. But I was surprised when I began to view it and felt compelled to watch it through. While it does have a conventional story line and predictable ending, the acting is believable, the script is believable and the direction moves the story along. I enjoyed the efforts of the Lucille Ball character in getting to the top, and helping her counterpart in beautifying herself. The Lucille Ball role (and Lucille herself) reminded me of Ginger Rogers for some reason. I thought she was good as a woman struggling between heart and mind. I didn't go much for the Donald Woods character however - too sappy except for at the start.